Teachers return to school

Teachers who are members of the Teachers’ Association (BvL) and the Alliance for Teachers in Suriname (ALS) on Wednesday decided to go back to school on Thursday. The decision to end the strike which started on May 2 was made in response to a letter that was sent to the unions by the government. In the letter the government announced that it would give the full revaluation salary to all teachers including the ones who have been assigned to other posts besides the classroom at the end of May. The government also announced that all the mistakes that were made in April would be corrected by the end of June 2017. “The government is willing to move forward with all parties in good confidence and to continue talks regarding many other aspects of the revaluation program,” said the Vice President in the letter that was sent in response to the letter that both unions had sent on Friday. Wilgo Valies, chairman of both unions, pointed out that it was decided that the unions would take a step back in the interest of children and because of the contents of the letter. The chairman pointed out that there is a fragile basis but that the unions would nevertheless end the strike with the assumption that the government will keep its word. The teachers will return to their stations but they will not cooperate with programs aimed at making up for lost time. Teachers will reportedly consider giving extra lessons but only after the money has been deposited into their bank accounts at the end of the month. “The teachers have buried the hatchet but if the revaluation program is not executed, they will take up positions at the barricades again. In that case nobody will be able to blame the teachers because the government will be to blame for that,” said Valies. Besides the financial part of the revaluation program, there are also secondary benefits that must be taken care of in order to create a healthy working environment for teachers. During the talks with the Minister of Education, Science and Culture, Robert Peneux, union officials made it clear that the bad treatment of teachers by various officials from the ministry must become a thing of the past. The unions will also discuss the bad conditions under which teachers must work in the hinterland. The unions want the government to address the issue so that teachers will look forward to working in the hinterland. Valies made it clear that the unions also want the permanent education bonus to be given to teachers because teachers had fought long and hard to obtain that right. “The government can’t take this right away from us,” said Valies who added that many problems that still exist will be discussed with the government.